AN Ayrshire wildlife home has been caring for seal pups washed ashore during storms Arwen and Barra.

On Monday, December 13, workers at Hessilhead Wildlife Centre received a call regarding a seal pup who was stuck on the rocks at the Saltcoats coastline.

According to the rescuers, the pup was inactive and along way from water, and was found lethargic, dehydrated and underweight.

Workers managed to capture the seal and transfer it to their care centre where it will now be fed and cared for before it can be returned to the water.

Storms Arwen and Barra recently battered the coastlines of Scotland, sending pups from their natural habitat.

Andy Christie, co-founder at Hessilhead, said: “We’ve got about 15 other pups to look after, but he’ll be ok.

“Young greys have an attitude and you have to be careful about handling them. They’re born pure white and with a black nose, they’re adorable but put out your hand near them and they’ll show how their teeth work, they’re characters.

“The bulk of them are now going to be ok however some of them are self feeding and some are just about there. Some are tube fed a sort of fish soup.

“We’ve got a few from Arwen who are mainly east coast seals, the winds of the storms were from the east and the seals were blown off the sandbanks where they were born and battered ashore on the cliffs.

“They’ll all be released back into the wild, that is our aim. Young greys come in at anything between10 and 15 kilos, and we’ll be putting them out at about 40 or 45 kilos.

“We’ve also got the built in problem with the nature of the beast - their mother will abandon them at four months old and the young ones have to learn to hunt quite quickly.We can’t help that, we can only make sure they’re fit and healthy - they should look like lumps of blubber.”

More than 200 seal pups died in the Scottish Borders at Pettico Wick in Berwickshire after Storm Arwen battered the east coast.

Rescuers there found 224 pups in the water, with “many more” washing up ashore.

Hessilhead is currently doing a major upgrade of their seal facilities, and recently received a wet wall donated from Greenock’s Wet Wall Works.

For more information on Hessilhead Wildlife Centre and to donate so that they can continue their work visit hessilheadwildlife.org.uk.